Display apparatus for vehicle

• US 6,327,522 B1
• Filed: 06/19/2000
• Issued: 12/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Kojima, Koichi, Uemura, Hiroki, Sasaki, Hidekazu, Doi, Ayumu
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US09/596,860
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/96, 701/300, 701/301, 701/28, 340/903, 340/937, 340/943, 340/435, 340/436, 348/115, 348/118, 348/119
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/179 Distances to obstacles or vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/21 using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/785 on or in relation to the windshield or windows
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/179 Distances to obstacles or vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/21 using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/785 on or in relation to the windshield or windows
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10

Abstract

In a display apparatus for a vehicle, when an auto mode is selected, an obstacle closest to the vehicle is determined on the basis of data that represents an output signal from an obstacle sensor, the determined obstacle and a radiation heat source (pixel group) included in an image sensed by an infrared light camera are associated with each other, and only an image corresponding to the obstacle closest to the vehicle is displayed on a display (FIG. 2, S5-S7).

Claims

1. A display apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

an image sensing device for sensing an image of a landscape ahead of the vehicle using infrared rays;

a display for displaying the image sensed by said image sensing device at a position in front of a driver'"'"'s seat of the vehicle;

distance detection means for detecting an obstacle present ahead of the vehicle on the basis of the image sensed by said image sensing device, and detecting a distance between the obstacle and the vehicle on the basis of the sensed image; and

display control means for processing the sensed image in accordance with a detection result of said distance detection means and displaying the processed image on said display,

wherein said display control means executes a predetermined image processing of the image sensed by said image sensing device so as to display only the obstacle with the shortest detected distance to the vehicle, and displays an image that has undergone the image processing on said display.

2. A display apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

an image sensing device for sensing an image of a landscape ahead of the vehicle using infrared rays;

a display for displaying the image sensed by said image sensing device at a position in front of a driver'"'"'s seat of the vehicle;

distance detection means for detecting an obstacle present ahead of the vehicle on the basis of the image sensed by said image sensing device, and detecting a distance between the obstacle and the vehicle on the basis of the sensed image; and

display control means for processing the sensed image in accordance with a detection means and displaying the processed image on said display,

wherein said display control means executes a predetermined image processing of the sensed image so as to emphasize and display the obstacle with the shortest detected distance to the vehicle compared to other obstacles, and displays an image that has undergone the image processing on said display.

3. A display apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

an image sensing device for sensing an image of a landscape ahead of the vehicle using infrared rays;

a display for displaying the image sensed by said image sensing device at a position in front of a driver'"'"'s seat of the vehicle;

distance detection means for detecting an obstacle present ahead of the vehicle on the basis of the image sensed by said image sensing device, and detecting a distance between the obstacle and the vehicle on the basis of the sensed image; and

display control means for processing the sensed image in accordance with a detection result of said distance detection means and displaying the processed image on said display,

wherein said display control means extracts a partial image that represents the obstacle with the shortest detected distance to the vehicle from the sensed image, executes a predetermined image processing for enlarging the extracted partial image, and displays an image that has undergone the image processing on said display.

4. A display apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

an image sensing device for sensing an image of a landscape ahead of the vehicle using infrared rays;

a display for displaying the image sensed by said image sensing device at a position in front of a driver'"'"'s seat of the vehicle;

distance detection means for detecting an obstacle present ahead of the vehicle on the basis of the image sensed by said image sensing device, and detecting a distance between the obstacle and the vehicle on the basis of the sensed image; and

display control means for processing the sensed image in accordance with a detection result of said distance detection means and displaying the processed image on said display,

wherein said display control means extracts a partial image that represents a person from the image sensed by said image sensing device, executes image processing of the sensed image so as to emphasize and display the partial image that represents the person with the shortest detected distance to the vehicle compared to partial images representing other obstacles, and displays an image that has undergone the image processing on said display.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said display control means determines an obstacle, a radiation temperature of which falls within a predetermined temperature range, to be a person on the basis of radiation temperatures of obstacles included in the sensed image, prior to extraction of the partial image that represents the person from the sensed image.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said display control means selects a predetermined number of the detected distances between the vehicle and persons corresponding to the partial images in ascending order of distance to the vehicle, and emphasizes and displays the partial images that represent the persons corresponding to the selected distances compared to the partial images that represent the other obstacles, as the predetermined image processing.

7. A display apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

an image sensing device for sensing an image of a landscape ahead of the vehicle using infrared rays;

a display for displaying the image sensed by said image sensing device at a position in front of a driver'"'"'s seat of the vehicle;

distance detection means for detecting an obstacle present ahead of the vehicle on the basis of the image sensed by said image sensing device, and detecting a distance between the obstacle and the vehicle on the basis of the sensed image; and

display control means for processing the sensed image in accordance with a detection result of said distance detection means and displaying the processed image on said display,

wherein said display control means executes a predetermined image processing of the image sensed by said image sensing device so as to display a partial image which represents the obstacle with the shortest detected distance to the vehicle in said display, and also displays the distance to the vehicle detected in association with that obstacle near the partial image.

8. A display apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

an image sensing device for sensing an image of a landscape ahead of the vehicle using infrared rays;

a display for displaying the image sensed by said image sensing device at a position in front of a drivers seat of the vehicle;

distance detection means for detecting an obstacle present ahead of the vehicle on the basis of the image sensed by said image sensing device, and detecting a distance between the obstacle and the vehicle on the basis of the sensed image; and

display control means for processing the sensed image in accordance with a detection result of said distance detection means and displaying the processed image on said display,

wherein said display control means extracts a partial image that represents a corresponding obstacle when each of the detected distances is larger than a first predetermined distance, executes a predetermined image processing for enlarging the extracted partial image, and displays an image that has undergone the image processing on said display.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

vehicle velocity detection means for detecting a vehicle velocity of the vehicle,

wherein said display control means makes enlarged-scale display of the partial image easier with increasing vehicle velocity of the vehicle upon executing the predetermined image processing.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

turn state detection means for detecting a turn state of the vehicle,

wherein said display control means inhibits execution of enlarged-scale display of the partial image when said turn state detection means detects that the vehicle is turning.

11. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

turn state detection means for detecting a turn state of the vehicle,

wherein, when said turn state detection means detects that the vehicle is turning and it is determined that an obstacle located at a position closer than the first predetermined distance is approaching along an estimated route of the vehicle, said display control means makes enlarged-scale display of a partial image which represents that obstacle, and

when said turn state detection means detects that the vehicle is not turning, said display control means inhibits execution of enlarged-scale display of the partial image.

12. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said display control means also displays a symbol mark which informs a passenger of enlarged-scale display when the partial image is displayed in an enlarged scale.

13. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

maneuvering environment detection means for detecting a value that pertains to visibility of a driver with respect to a maneuvering environment ahead of the vehicle as a maneuvering environment of the vehicle,

wherein said display control means corrects the first predetermined distance to increase as the detection result of said maneuvering environment detection means indicates worse visibility.

14. A display apparatus for a vehicle, which is provided to a vehicle, comprising:

an image sensing device for sensing an image of a landscape ahead of the vehicle using infrared rays;

a display for displaying the image sensed by said image sensing device at a position in front of a driver'"'"'s seat of the vehicle;

distance detection means for detecting an obstacle present ahead of the vehicle, and detecting a distance between the obstacle and the vehicle; and

display control means for changing a display mode of said display in accordance with a detection result of said distance detection means;

wherein said display control means computes distances between the vehicle and obstacles included in an overall image sensed by said image sensing device on the basis of that overall image and the detection result from said distance detection means,

displays an image obtained by deforming a partial image that represents a given obstacle on said display when the computed distance to that obstacle is larger than a first predetermined distance, so as to make a driver easily recognize the presence of the corresponding obstacle, and

displays the overall image on said display when the computed distance is smaller than the first predetermined distance.

15. A display apparatus for a vehicle, which is provided to a vehicle, comprising:

an image sensing device for sensing an image of a landscape ahead of the vehicle using infrared rays;

a display for displaying the image sensed by said image sensing device at a position in front of a driver'"'"'s seat of the vehicle;

distance detection means for detecting an obstacle present ahead of the vehicle, and detecting a distance between the obstacle and the vehicle; and

display control means for changing a display mode of said display in accordance with a detection result of said distance detection means;

wherein said display control means computes distances between the vehicle and obstacles included in an overall image sensed by said image sensing device on the basis of that overall image and the detection result from said distance detection means,

displays the overall image on said display when the computed distance is smaller than a second predetermined distance, and

stops display of the overall image on said display when the computed distance is larger than the second predetermined distance.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising:

vehicle velocity detection means for detecting a vehicle velocity of the vehicle,

wherein said display control means changes the second predetermined distance to increase with increasing vehicle velocity of the vehicle.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising:

maneuvering environment detection means for detecting a value that pertains to visibility of a driver with respect to a maneuvering environment ahead of the vehicle as a maneuvering environment of the vehicle,

wherein said display control means corrects the second predetermined distance to increase as the detection result of said maneuvering environment detection means indicates worse visibility.

18. The apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising alert means for informing a passenger of start of display by means of a voice message prior to display of the overall image.